


A Dancer's Ballad

by Tphantomhive13



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst?, Awkward Flirting, Awkward Romance, Awkwardness, Blooming Love, Character Death, Chrom!Inigo, Denial, Denial of Feelings, Depression, F/M, Family Drama, Family Feels, Feels, Fluff, Knights - Freeform, M/M, Non-Explicit Sex, Prince Inigo, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Why Did I Write This?, all of the feels, chrom is awkward, dancer!inigo, frederick!gerome, knight!gerome, lots of anger, lucina is a good sister, may be out of character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-18
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-06-03 01:35:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6591298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tphantomhive13/pseuds/Tphantomhive13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inigo is the bastard Prince of Ylisse who lives in Regna Ferox. He is perfectly content with his life as a Dancer. He loves to perform with his Mother, Olivia, and he can tolerate Lon'Qu's fatherly overprotective instincts and quirks.<br/>But what happens when Gerome, a Ylisse Knight, gets dragged to Regna Ferox to watch the Dancers perform one night and he encounters Inigo?<br/>One thing is for sure: Romance is never an easy thing.</p><p>Disclaimer: I only own the plot and some of the concepts. The names of places and the characters are not mine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1 Elegant Entrapment

In the grand country of Ylisse, there is an elegant, two floored building that possessed an arena. This building was known as Regna Ferox, and it was owned by two great warriors Flavia and Basilio. The two made a wealthy lifestyle based off of  tournaments in the arena and the talented male and female dancers that live in the building.

One of the many dancers, Olivia, was well-known in all of Ylisse for her graceful dances and how they give even hopeless soldiers the will to fight on. That's what earned her a place in the Shepards during the Plegian War and she danced for Chrom and his comrades. Olivia was one of the many reasons that Ylisse won the Plegian War; she restarted the flame of hope and increased its ferocity with every graceful jump and step after Emmeryn's death. When Chrom landed the final blow to Gangrel and ended the war with victory, a celebration was in order.

And with celebration comes liquor and several men and women going into a drunken stupor.Olivia was not as drunk as Chrom that night, but both parties had consumed enough alcohol to warm a bed together that night despite that Chrom was already married to Sumia during the war.

Olivia was the first to come to, and upon the horrifying discovery of her sin, had fled the scene before Chrom could wake up and realize what had transpired between them and took responsibility.

Olivia returned to Regna Ferox and no longer affiliated herself with the Shepards. She couldn't bare to look at Chrom again. She simply told Robin that the Shepard life was not for her, and she had repaid her debt to Emmeryn so she felt that she would only burden the militia. Olivia was forever grateful to the fact that Regna Ferox had an area of rooms specifically for couples and harlots to conduct business. Though it was heavily guarded and not used as often as the rest of the country thinks, the honorable Shepards didn't want to toil their reputation by being seen at a place of seduction.

Basilio, a father figure of sorts to Olivia, had noticed Olivia's strange behavior upon her return and confronted her. The poor pink-haired woman was a stuttering, blushing mess, but she managed to confess to Basilio what had happened. Olivia discovered she was one with child, and that Chrom was the father. Olivia was shy, but she wasn't naive. She knew what a bastard child's life would consist of and though Chrom was a good man and would never harm any child of his: Olivia wouldn't ruin his life with the knowledge of her pregnancy. Chrom was not her only concern, for every great man has a greater number of enemies. Should an enemy catch wind of her child's bloodline, Olivia would lose her life and more importantly, her child's. Basilio swore to the gods that no one outside of Regna Ferox's walls would find out about Olivia's child. With Olivia's consent, Basilio informed the other owner of Regna Ferox, Flavia.

Olivia could manage dancing for a couple of months, but once her pregnancy began to show, Basilio and Flavia forbade her to perform. She wasn't the only dancer in Regna Ferox, so her spot can be filled by the other dancers until she was fit to perform once again.

The second floor was to provide living quarters for the dancers and the guards who had nowhere else to go while the first floor was where business took place. Olivia was confined to the second floor with frequent visits from Flavia, Basilio, and a doctor monitoring her pregnancy. Other dancers had paid visits and soon all of Regna Feroz's members knew of Olivia's pregnancy. The father remained unknown and Olivia was grateful to Flavia's fierce protectiveness. The dark-skinned woman had almsot sliced the throats of the too curious and claimed that the father was not going to be involved in any way. In Regna Ferox, sensitive topics are always avoided and ignored. A place of festivity and sinful indulgence doesn't need the mood to be sombered by the grim, sensitive topics that every member holds. Secrets flourished behind Regna Ferox's walls with only the concerned parties and Basilio and Flavia knowing about them all due to their owner statuses.

Olivia was even guarded at all times; she was never seen without Lon'Qu following in her shadow. Lon'Qu was one of the best swordmen in Regna Ferox who took a position as a guard in between tournaments. Basilio trusted the man; otherwise, he wouldn't have appointed Lon'Qu as Olivia's guard.

During the final months of her pregnancy, Olivia had grown quite close with Lon'Qu. He was her only company and he managed to endure her emotional moments. Despite his insecurity around women and the need to keep his distance from them, he assisted Olivia with getting up and putting on her shoes. Sometimes he would sneak in some extra food to satify her cravings. With this closeness, the two fell in love and agreed to marry after Olivia's child was born.

On August 7th, Inigo was born. He inherited almost everything from Olivia: her grey eyes, pink hair, and light tan complexion. His right eye was the only thing that branded him a bastard child, for within the silver depths of his right eye was the prominent Brand of Ylissean royalty. Olivia fretted over Inigo's Branded eye because it was so easy to see. Lon'Qu was quick on his feet and covered the Branded eye whenever any of the other dancers visited Inigo. He gave the excuse that Inigo caught a small infection in his eye and that it would go away soon: anyone who asked to many questions would face Lon'Qu's protective wrath. Inigo's life was dancing, quite literally, as he grew up. He never knew anything beyond the walls of Regna Ferox: all he could do was dance for the spectators and smile for his Mother and Father. When he was old enough to understand, Olivia told Inigo about his real Father.

Inigo didn't really care about that bit of information. Lon'Qu was his Father by bond: blood didn't really mean anything without the proper bond. He was infuriated by Chrom and hated him, though. What kind of man doesn't visit his former comrade? Didn't the time Chrom spent with mother mean nothing to him? Inigo knew that his Mother and Chrom were drunk at the time, but if they were truly friends and comrades then Chrom should have visited. Over the years, that anger and hate subsided. Inigo didn't want the royal life, despite his Mother and Lon'Qu saying that it was okay if he chose to confront Chrom about his bloodline. He loved dancing, and Inigo didn't want his dancing to be taken away from him. Princes don't dance; hell, males don't dance. Regna Ferox protected Inigo's passion, and he was happy to be in Regna Ferox with his Mother and Lon'Qu. What's more to ask for? Inigo didn't need riches and he certainly didn't want the popularity: being on stage to perform in front of a small audience was hard enough with his shyness. Inigo didn't want his life to change at all; it was perfect the way it was.

But fate played him a cruel hand by turning his life upside down.


	2. Enchantment and Intrigue

It all started one night when the Ylissean Princess Cynthia dragged Gerome to Regna Ferox. The young Knight spent all of his days cooped up on the castle’s training grounds with his wyvern, Minerva, executing several attack maneuvers and well, just training. Cynthia never saw Gerome relax for even a second; he was either training or taking care of Minerva. She had had enough of it and so she interrupted Gerome’s training session, grabbed him by the arm, and brought him into town for the best entertainment she could afford. Being the youngest Princess had its perks.

Gerome wanted the earth to swallow him whole, or to have Minerva drop from the sky, scoop him up in her talons, and return him to the castle. He prayed to the gods to rescue him from being dragged to Regna Ferox against his will. He would do anything. Anything except watch scaddily clad men and women dancing for twisted-minded perverts. His Father, Frederick, and his Mother, Cherche will both have heart attacks if they found out.

“Unhand me Cynthia!” Gerome protested as he tugged at his arm and failed to get it out of the Pegasus Knight’s grip. Damn, he never would have figured that a girl of Cynthia’s stature would have such an iron grip.

“Aw come on Gerome! All you do is train! You need to relax!” Cynthia argued as the two waited in line in front of the gold building.

“I beg to differ.”

He stared at the large sign above the front door that read “Regna Ferox” in pink, elegant handwriting. The outside was grand: the window sparkled like diamonds and the face of the building was decorated with intricate designs of flowers and figures moving gracefully in battle and dance. Then he looked up to the sky to see the pink, red, and orange hues fading to purple and navy blue and the sun set and the moon and stars make their appearance.

"I did a flower fortune about tonight for you," Cynthia chirped and she nudged the wyvern rider, "And the petals told me that someone will enchant you and claim your heart. You'll make a dancer super lucky!"

Gerome stared at Cynthia. "You and your flower fortunes," he deadpanned.

"Hey! I wouldn't bring you here if the flower fortune said otherwise! And you should trust them! Mother taught me how to read flower fortunes and her flower fortunes give everyone good luck!"

Gerome sighed and the duo was stopped by the guards at the door. One guard was eyeing Gerome's silver axe.

"Weapons are not permitted within," The other guard stated.

"I'm Princess Cynthia of Ylisse," Cynthia informed the guards, "My knight is accompanying me for protection. He needs his weapon."

"Your highness, you'll be quite safe within these walls. We have guards posted around the room and their skills cannot be rivaled when it comes to combat," The guard assured.

"But-"

"His axe will be returned upon your leave," The guard that was staring at Gerome's axe stated and he put his hand out to Gerome.

Gerome wouldn't have handed his axe over if it wasn't for Cynthia's nudge and her pointed look. Cynthia may be an entertaining klutz but when she wants to be taken seriously, she will.

"Fine," Gerome muttered and he handed over his axe and groaned when Cynthia pulled him into the building as soon as the guards allowed them to pass.

The interior was just as beautiful as the exterior. The room was large with the walls painted a light pink with the same intricate designs of dancers and warriors painted in gold. A chandelier was hung over the center of the room, lighting the room in a seductive, dim glow. Towards the far right of where Gerome and Cynthia were standing was a curtained doorway that had three armed myrmidon in front of it like a wall. The floor was a deep crimson color that makes the low, dark wooden tables pop. Each table had either pink or white gold trimmed pillows as seats littered around them. Two dancers were already performing on the grand stage in front of the band that was playing in the background. Gerome spared a second or two watching the current dancers: one was female adorned in pink and gold with a pink veil covering her face except for her eyes and she twirled. The other dancer was male adorned in blue and silver and he wore a veil as well, only exposing his eyes and he complimented the female dancer's moves. They were graceful as they moved with the fast tempo of the music, but Gerome saw their nerves and tenseness. He knew that they were just opening acts for the main dancers: Inigo and his mother, Olivia.

Everyone outside of Regna Ferox heard about the amazing dancers and heard of the tales of tavern owners trying to get Regna Ferox's crown jewels and failing.

Cynthia dragged Gerome to an empty tale in front of the stage, skillfully weaving through the other dancers bustling about as they served drinks to the visitors of the night. The duo sat at their table and Cynthia stared up at the dancers in awe.

"I wish I could be that graceful," She sighed.

Gerome grunted in response to notify Cynthia that he had heard her comment, but he didn’t reply or comment on it. After watching the dancers for a second more, he returned to observing his surroundings. The guards outside weren't kidding when they told Cynthia that there were guards posted all over the room: all of them were myrmidons and they were standing in the sidelines and corners of the room in menacing postures. They were all scouring the crowd with sharp eyes as they watched the dancers that were serving the guests move about the room and never taking their eyes away when one of the drunken men struck a conversation with one of them. A couple of myrmidon even weaved through the crowd to intervene in a conversation when they noticed that a dancer was uncomfortable. Gerome even saw the guards give a side-glance to the dancers chatting up their clients for a seductive night. _Everyone is protected here, despite their business._

"Welcome to Regna Ferox!" A chipper male's voice greeted, causing Gerome to snap his head to the owner of the voice. A pink-haired male was leaning over their table with a large grin as he adjusted his bangs, as if to make sure that his right eye was covered while his other silver eye gleamed with warmth. His lean body was adorned with the dancer's garb but it was pink instead of blue to compliment his hair.

"May I get you two a drink?" The male asked and he winked to Cynthia. With Gerome, the dancer gave the knight an appreciative look over before giving the brown-haired male a flirtatious wink with that enchanting silver eye of his.

"Yes please," Cynthia giggled.

"Coming right up!" The male giggled and he walked off.

Gerome watched him go and chat with a pink-haired woman that has the same bangs as the male as he went to a barrel to fill two cups with ale. The two pink-haired people laughed and the male was blushing as he shrugged while talking with the pink-haired woman; presumably confessing something. A brown-haired myrmidon walked over to the pink-haired dancers and leaned close to the pink-haired male to speak to him. Gerome watched as the pink-haired male’s expression grew uneasy as he shook his head at the myrmidon. The pink-haired female kissed the brown-haired myrmidon’s cheek with a blush and grinned as she spoke to him, patting his shoulder in a reassuring way. The myrmidon placed an arm around her waist and kissed her and then spoke to her before turning to the pink-haired male and saying something that made the younger male nod and hug the man. Then the young male remembered the drinks and hastily filled up the mugs, said his goodbyes to what Gerome assumed to be his family, and returned to Gerome and Cynthia’s table.

“Here you are!” He cheered as he placed he full mugs on the table while sporting a large grin.

Gerome noticed the myrmidon was still holding the pink-haired female and watched the male with such a protective intensity that Gerome felt unnerved to even been seen with the pink-haired male.

“Thanks,” Gerome responded though Cynthia’s louder voice prevented the male dancer from hearing what he said.

The pink-haired male chuckled and he gave a bow. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I must go. Have a good night!” The male turned to leave-

“Wait!” Cynthia called out and the dancer stopped and looked over his shoulder to give the Ylissean princess his full attention.

“Yes Miss?” The dancer responded.

“What’s your name?” Gerome had to stifle a groan. _Of course_ Cynthia would ask; anyone she finds interesting enough to befriend would be subjected to this question. Although, Gerome was curious too; something about this man intrigued him.

The pink-haired male threw Cynthia a smile. “The name’s Inigo,” Inigo answered and he left before Cynthia could utter another word.


	3. Let it Burn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy cow! It's been a year!  
> Sorry to those who thought I abandoned this fic! I honestly just got so caught up in school, life and work that I didn't have the time to write.  
> I wasn't kidding when I said that I take a while to update.  
> So as a peace offering, I'm giving you all this chapter! My writing style may have changed, and idk I feel like this story is fast-paced?  
> I'd love to hear back from you guys! Let me know what you expect out of this fic, or what I didn't do that great on! I can always improve!  
> P.S The song in this fic is https://youtu.be/9EUXyEQZqLo so you can copy and paste the url, or click the link in the fic at the scene it appears in and listen while you read along to some quality dancing Inigo :)

"It's getting late," Gerome muttered as he folded his arms across his chest, half-watching the current dancers' performance. "Can we go back to the Castle now?"

  
"No," Cynthia hissed, "We are going to watch Olivia and Inigo perform. They are sure to be the next!"

  
"You've been saying that for the past two performances, and frankly, I want to go back home. Minerva has never been left alone for this long-"

  
"Minerva is a dragon, and your Mother can take care of her while you're here."

  
Gerome groaned and pushed his untouched mug of ale away. "Well-"

  
"Shush!" Cynthia smacked Gerome's arm.

  
The knight rubbed his arm as he glared at the princess. He muttered a few select curses under his breath at how hard she hit him. Where did all of her hidden strength even come from?!

  
The entire building went silent as the current dancers stepped off of the stage, and Inigo strutted on. He winked st the dancers as they passed him, and the pink-haired woman beside him just grabbed his hand, and brought the pair to the center of the stage. Inigo put his back to the crowd and had his arms outstretched and low, his palms facing the audience behind the pink-haired lady-Olivia. Gerome figured- who was posing with one hand up to the sky and she stared at the cieiling. Instead of drums starting the [music](https://youtu.be/9EUXyEQZqLo) like Gerome expected, the strummings of the guitar filled the air. On the first strum of the guitar, Inigo raised his arms while Olivia slowly lowered her arm to do a very slow twirl while her other arm moved along to the guitar, and then as soon as Gerome tried to keep track of both of the dancers' movements, he fell under their spell.

  
Inigo was all that Gerome could see.

  
The drums joined the guitar and Gerome watched as Inigo moved with such controlled but flowing movements along with the sound of an instrument that the was playing in the background to the drums and guitar, showing Gerome (and everyone else in the audience) how flexible each of the male dancer's muscles were, and how Inigo can exaggerate the tiniest move with just a twist of a muscle. Olivia was twirling and flowing, intertwining her moves with Inigo's subtle ones in the elegant tapestry of their performance. When the tempo of the music slowed, Olivia moved to the background to give Inigo the spotlight.

  
Gerome swore to the gods that Inigo locked eyes with him during his solo as Inigo twisted his hips and maneuvered his feet to the drums, and stretching his arms out as if to reach for Gerome before the tempo increased and Inigo closed his eyes to vigorously twirl to the background for Olivia to perform her solo to the rapid drums before the song ended.

  
"Gerome," Cynthia called out, "Gerome? Are you there?"

  
Gerome blinked and he turned to Cynthia. "Hm?" He said.

  
The princess smirked. "The flower fortune came true~"

  
"No it didn't."

  
"Yes it did, Gerome! Don't deny it! You looked-er, acted pretty enchanted to me! Aaaannnnnndddd-"

  
He felt his cheeks, as well as the rest of his bidy, burn with his blush. "Silence! The performance was...just..very good! Yep!"

  
Cynthia leaned in really close to the brunet knight. "Mmhmmm. Riiiiggghhht, Gerome."

  
Without another word, Cynthia dragged the knight back home.

 

Ever since Gerome watched Inigo’s captivating dance, the young knight was distracted with the urge to go back to Regna Ferox. Gerome was never the social type; his friends practically forced him to be in their company and he just learned to tolerate their antics. Naturally, he was relunctant to insert himself in a place where he can't avoid socializing with other people, but he finally gathered the courage a month or so later and he found himself standing awkwardly in the elegantly fashioned building staring at several tables empty tables that seemed too close to other people for Gerome's liking.

  
But Inigo helped him with that, surprisingly.

  
“Hey!” The pink-haired male greeted as Gerome was trying to figure out where to sit. “I can’t forget a face-er, well, I can’t forget a mask like yours. What brings you here?”

  
Gerome fidgeted. “I, um, wanted…”

  
Inigo smirked and placed an arm around Gerome’s shoulder. “Say no more. Us shy people need to band together!” His grey eye shimmered with understanding. “Unfortunately, I don’t have a show tonight…but, I could use some refreshing company.”

  
The pink-haired man led Gerome to an empty table that was partially hidden with one of the golden decorative curtains. Inigo sat on one of the three available cushions and he pat the one beside him. “Come on now, take a seat,” He invited with a chuckle. Gerome stiffly sat beside the male dancer and glanced about.  
“This is very..secluded,” Gerome commented. _Way to point out the obvious._

  
Inigo laughed and ran a hand through his bangs, but his other eye remained concealed. “This is my reserved table. I come here when I’m not serving the customers…it’s a place for me to be with my thoughts. My Mother and Father join me occasionally, but I’m usually here by myself.”

  
Gerome nodded and he pondered on what to say next: he couldn’t ask about Inigo’s eye…he personally knows the feeling of security when something is hidden.  
He opened his mouth to say something when Inigo blurted out, “I don’t believe you told me your name.”

  
“Gerome,” Gerome answered, “And before you ask, my friend that sat with me was Cynthia.”

  
“Princess Cynthia?” Inigo shifted a bit and he gave a strangled chuckle. “You are friends with royalty?”

  
“Of course I am. I am a knight, and my Father is Chrom’s Sworn knight. My Mother is a knight as well, and she was Sworn to Lord Virion of Valm before he lost his title.”

  
“You’re Cynthia’s Sworn knight?”

  
“No. I’m currently not in the service of anyone.”

  
Inigo leaned closer to Gerome. “Why?”

  
Gerome shrugged. “I…don’t know.”

  
Inigo hummed as he rested his chin in his hand. “No questions for me? I feel as if I’m interrogating you, and that’s my Father’s job.”

  
“Whose your Father?” Gerome asked.

  
Inigo clicked his tongue and he looked around the room before he grinned and gestured to the brunett myrmidon keeping a watchful eye on the pair from the far corner. “He’s my Father, I’m sure you heard of him: Lon’Qu, Regna Ferox’s fiercest guard.”

  
Gerome looked to Lon’Qu before staring at Inigo, and then staring at Lon’Qu once more.

  
They looked nothing alike.

  
Gerome didn’t comment about that as his gave Inigo his full attention.

  
“You didn’t ask about my eye,” Inigo pointed out.

  
“You didn’t ask about my mask,” Gerome countered.

  
“Touché"

  
The pair sat in an awkward silence. Inigo was staring at Gerome intently almost as if he was studying the brunet. Gerome was trying not make it obvious that Inigo's stare was making him very, _very_ flustered and fidgety.

  
"Did you like my performance?" Inigo asked, leaning a little closer to Gerome like he was sharing a secret, "I know everyone likes my Mother's dancing, but, I don't know. I like asking to see if my dancing wasn't overlooked...you know?"

  
Gerome nodded. "I enjoyed your performance...I didn't really notice your Mother's dancing though," He said.

  
The dancer's cheeks turned a little red, and he gave the knight a bright grin. "Really?" The he leaned back and gave a small frown, "You're not...jesting?"

  
"I don't jest."

  
"Oh, actually, I'm not surprised. You seem the type."

  
Then the two engaged in playful banter, and sharing small details about each other. The pair fell in to a routine: Gerome would visit whenever Inigo wasn't expected to perform, and the two would talk until Lon'Qu would cut in and say that it was getting late and Inigo needed to go.

  
No one noticed any suspicious behavior or people, and one day Gerome's visit took a sinister turn.

  
"It was an awkward conversation," Inigo said as he gestured his hands wildly, "The girl was very drunk and she was thought I would do that kind of thing! If it wasn't for my Mother stepping in when she did, my Father would've had Basilio yelling at him for driving away another customer because they were making me uncomfortable."  
Gerome chuckled as he sipped his drink.

  
Inigo laughed and he twirled a strand of his hair.

  
Then they started to smell smoke.

  
"Gerome..do-"

  
Inigo couldn't finish his question before the people who were in the closed off area were sprinting out of the building, screaming as rapidly growing flames entered the main room. The myrmidons that guarded the area were the last to get clear, carrying unconscious, and naked, patrons and dancers. The others tried to reign in the crowd as all of the curtains were catching fire, yelling at the screaming people to exit and dragging the drunk patrons to get them out.

  
"Inigo we need to go!" Gerome yelled above the screaming crowd, grabbing the paralyzed dancer by the arm and dragging him towards the crowd and exit. The smoke making both of them cough.

  
"No!" Inigo coughed and he freed his arm. "Mother and Father!"

  
"Inigo!" A male's voice bellowed.

  
"You stupid oaf!" A female's voice screeched, "We should be getting everyone out!"

  
"Basilio! Flavia!" Inigo yelled before violently coughing.

  
Gerome grabbed his cape, thankful he was allowed to keep his armor on, and tore it off. He wrapped on end around Inigo's nose and mouth, and he covered his ouwn nose and mouth with the other end to help keep the smoke out of their lungs.

  
Basilio and Flava both shoved panicking patrons out of their way as they made their way to the pair.

  
"Gods, you need to get out!" Flavia screamed as she grabbed Gerom and Inigo by the shoulders. "What are you doing still inside? Can't you see the damn building's on fire?"

  
Inigo pulled down his makeshift scarf/cape. "B-but-"

  
"Don't worry about Lon'Qu boy!" Basilio barked and he started shoving the pair through the crowd, "He went to grab Olivia and they'll meet you outside!"

  
Gerome covered Inigo's face again with his scarf and grabbed the dancer's hand so Basilio would stop shoving them. The knight broke into a sprint, keeping a firm hold on Inigo's hand as those who were too slow for Gerome's liking were pushed aside to let the pair through. Once Gerome dragged Inigo outside of the building, he stopped and pulled down the cape to breathe in the fresh air more freely. Inigo threw the cape off of him as he coughed, and he tugged at Gerome's arm.

  
"Gerome, we have to-"

  
Gerome wrapped his arm around Inigo's waist to hold the dancer back as everyone outside watched as there was there was a bright wave of flames engulfed the bottom floor of Regna Ferox and shortly, the building collapsed.

  
"No!" Inigo screamed, freezing in Gerome's hold. The dancer was silent for a moment before he started to sniffle.

  
Gerome held Inigo close, like he would do if Cynthia was upset, in an attempt to soothe the distraught dancer. He watched as Basilio and Flavia made their way over to the pair, prominent frowns on their faces.

  
"Basilio! Flavia!" Inigo greeted and he pushed Gerome away (well Gerome let Inigo free). "Where's...?"

  
Flavia shook her head.

  
"We tried to find them out here in the crowd," Basilio grunted, "But they're not here."

  
"W-we have to go back in! Maybe-"

  
"Going back in will be suicide!" Flavia scolded, "The building collapsed, Inigo! Your Mother and Lon'Qu are gone!"

  
Inigo stared wide-eyed at Flavia, and he grasped onto Gerome's arm, feeling as unsteady. Despite Gerome keeping him steady, Inigo felt his entire world collide around him.

  
What is he going to do now?

**Author's Note:**

> So there's my first fire emblem fanfiction!  
> If you have read my other works, then you guys know that I take forever to update my stories. Well I might update more since I'm on vacation this week....unless life messes with that plan.  
> Thanks for reading and if you like this work, check out my other works!


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